Monthly Archives: November 2016

Etsy Holiday Shopping Guide: Gifts from the Indigenous people of the land

Hello all!

If you are like me, you are starting to think about your holiday shopping (I prefer to use “holiday” instead of “Christmas” which has a religious connotation and meaning). And if you are like me, you are all about online shopping. Because really, who wants to battle crowds at the shopping center. And that’s if you can even find parking… So yes, online shopping all the way! And if you know this site, even a little bit, you know one of my favorite places to shop, for literally anything, is Etsy! Yay Etsy!! I just love the concept of Etsy. A place where artists can sell directly to the buyers, where they get a platform to showcase their work and where buyers actually get to interact with them. There are just so many options on Etsy that you can find something for every single person you know. From your mother, to your spouse, to your boss, teacher, mentor or even your neighbor’s dog (I kid you not!).

Featured artist: David Fierro and his Native American drums

Hello all!

This past week was a special week for me for a few reasons. One of them was the raising of a totem pole a block away from my office, for the survivors and residents of an area of Vancouver called “downtown eastside” (DTES). The area is also known as “Skidrow” for its high incidence of crime (including a high incidence of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women), homelessness and drug use. Definitively not an area easy to live in day in and day out. However, it is where I work and I would not change that for anything. Because there is so much beauty in the people living there. A lot of trauma yes but also such beauty and resilience. Which is what the totem pole represents. I look forward to visiting it when I need strength and peace. See it and read about it on my Facebook page or learn more about the meaning and history of totem poles here.

Drum by David Fierro

Last week was also the week that I finally got my own drum! So let’s talk about drumming, the meaning of a Native American drum and the wonderful and talented artist who made mine: David Fierro.